Trump says he is prepared to meet N Korea's Kim

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was prepared to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first U.S.-North Korea summit, marking a potentially dramatic breakthrough in nuclear tensions with Pyongyang.

Kim has committed to "denuclearization" and to suspending nuclear or missile tests, South Korea's National Security Office head Chung Eui-yong told reporters at the White House after briefing Trump on South Korean officials' meeting with Kim on Monday.

"A meeting is being planned," Trump tweeted after speaking to Chung, who announced that Trump expressed a willingness to sit down with Kim in what would be his biggest foreign policy gamble since taking office.

Chung said Trump, in response to Kim's invitation, had agreed to meet by May, and a senior U.S. official later said it could happen "in a matter of a couple of months, with the exact timing and place still to be determined."

Trump has previously said he was willing to meet Kim under the right circumstances but had indicated that the time was not right for such talks. He mocked U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in October for "wasting his time" trying to talk to North Korea.

Earlier Thursday, Tillerson had said on a visit to Africa that although "talks about talks" might be possible with Pyongyang, denuclearization negotiations were likely a long way off.

"Kim Jong Un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze," Trump said in a message on Twitter on Thursday night. "Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time."

Trump added: "Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached."

A meeting between Kim and Trump, who have exchanged bellicose insults in the past year that have raised fear of war, would be a major turnaround after a year in which North Korea has carried out a battery of tests aimed at developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

"Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests," Chung said, apparently referring to a suspension during the duration of any talks.

"He expressed his eagerness to meet President Trump as soon as possible," he said.

Trump's aides have been wary of North Korea's diplomatic overtures because of its history of reneging on international commitments and the failure of efforts on disarmament by the administrations of President Bill Clinton, President George W Bush and President Barack Obama.

Under Clinton in October 2000, then-U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright held talks in Pyongyang with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong Un.

U.S. officials and experts, speaking to Reuters before Thursday's announcement, had cautioned that North Korea could buy time to build up and refine its nuclear arsenal, including a warhead able to survive re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, if it manages to drag out any talks with Washington.

Chung and National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon flew to Washington to explain North Korea's stance on possible future talks with Washington and the prospect of Pyongyang suspending nuclear tests if the security of the North's government is assured.

In what would be a key North Korean concession, Chung said Kim "understands that the routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue."

Pyongyang had previously demanded that such joint drills be suspended in order for any U.S. talks to go forward.

Trump in the past has derided the North Korean leader as a “maniac,” referred to him as “little rocket man” and threatened in a speech to the United Nations last year to "totally destroy" his country of 26 million people if it attacked the United States or one of its allies.

Kim had responded by calling the U.S. president a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”

Trump has also been scathing in his criticism of previous U.S. administrations for not doing more to rein in the North Korean government.

"He believes that he has them on the ropes, or at a disadvantage right now. They only made the gesture because they feel the pressure badly and so this a good time," a second senior administration official said.

But U.S. officials may also be wary since North Korea has yet to weigh in directly on its diplomatic offer and previous overtures from Pyongyang have sometimes carried demands that Washington has found impossible to accept, such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he confirmed in telephone talks with Trump that pressure still needed to be applied worldwide on North Korea.

Abe also told reporters he hoped to visit the United States as early as next month to meet Trump to discuss North Korea, among other issues.

"We welcome the change in North Korea's stance", Abe said. "Japan and the United States will not waver in its firm stance that they will continue to put maximum pressure until North Korea takes concrete action towards the complete, verifiable and irreversible end to nuclear missile development."

A senior administration official said Trump agreed to meet Kim because Kim is the "one person who is able to make decisions under their authoritarian, uniquely authoritarian, or totalitarian system," a senior administration official said.

Daniel Russel, until last April the assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, the most senior U.S. diplomatic position for Asia, noted there had still been no public comment from North Korea about the content of Monday’s meeting with the South Korean delegation.

"Let’s hear from the North Koreans themselves what they are proposing and what they are willing to do. There is plenty of reason to be cautious, given their track record," Russel said."Second, let’s read the fine print. The North has made peace overtures in the past that did not hold up under scrutiny."

Tensions over North Korea rose to their highest in years in 2017, and the Trump administration has warned that all options are on the table, including military ones, in dealing with Pyongyang, which has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of ever tougher U.N. sanctions.

Signs of a thaw emerged this year, with North and South Korea resuming talks and North Korea attending the Winter Olympics. During the Pyongyang talks this week, the two Koreas agreed to hold their first summit since 2007 in late April.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said sanctions should not be eased for the sake of talks and that nothing less than denuclearization of North Korea should be the final goal for talks.

China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, called on the United States and North Korea to hold talks as soon as possible, warning at a news briefing in Beijing on Thursday that things"will not be smooth sailing".

Mar. 9
09:48 am JST

Can't believe I'm saying this, but good for Trump.

Like I touched upon before, this leaves Japan the odd man out of the ridiculous 'alliance' of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan against North Korea.

South Korea couldn't care less about Japan, and would never side with them against their northern brothers. Trump couldn't care less about Japan also, and now he's going to the table with the dear leader.

Japan now must do the same. There is definitely a reason why Kim is so open to dialogue now, the sanctions against North Korea have been crippling them. Abe must learn to bite his tongue and disregard the 'alliance,' and open dialogue with Kim himself.

Mar. 9
10:06 am JST

Incredible news! This proves that the unilateral sanctions have worked perfectly against NK and they have reached breaking point. This is an incredible precedent as well as it shows strong and heavily enforced sanctions can force a rogue power to the negotiating table.

Now the ball is in NK's court; if they derail these talks, their state will come to an end through force

Mar. 9
10:07 am JST

Mar. 9
10:09 am JST

I don't care what political affiliation you have, everyone should be in support of peace and denuclearization of an unstable nation. Hopefully this will lead to better future for all involved, no more NK nukes, reunification of both Korea's, elimination of the gulags in NK, and formal ties between US, Japan, and North Korea.

Mar. 9
10:34 am JST

Watch out for dodgy gases and faulty hand shakes trumpy. No! on second thoughts go all the way, give the man a hug, a tender kiss on the lips for Mrs Kim. That should go down well, shows intent don't you think.

Mar. 9
10:36 am JST

Stunning to say the least. A sitting U.S. president has never met with a N. Korean leader before, let alone in a discussion focused on nuclear weapons.

The only question now is what is the quid pro quo? Would a nuclear freeze be enough to cut it? It seems unlikely that N. Korea will completely give up its nuclear program at this stage after everything they've invested in it.

Mar. 9
10:46 am JST

Mar. 9
10:48 am JST

I think it’s a good thing, they should talk, better than the alternative, but the President should be optimistically cautious, but I agree, it’s great news if they North Koreans are serious, we can all benefit from this meeting.

Mar. 9
10:53 am JST

Mar. 9
10:56 am JST

First... this world is but one "globe" where all is "connected" and "related" physically.

Second... we humans are all "animals" and to survive means to "live" in this physical environment.

Third... to live, one cannot "destroy" the world; the globe and its resources.

Fourth... today, no realistic leader aware of those 3 realities can expect his nation to survive by actions that will destroy the world. (Sadly, there are certain peoples - we call fanatics and zealots - that are dreaming in la-la land or "life" beyond what we know as "physical reality".)

Kim is a "realist" and not a fanatic.

He is a "strategist" and needed someone like Trump (a master communicator) to "recognize" the true meaning behind his actions and rhetoric. And.., both played meaningful roles (acting) to bring this about.

Kim can now "negotiate" on fairly "equal" stance with the US, satisfying his people. That was something which was denied by every other nation in the world since WWII. And something that was hindered by the still resolved "peace treaty" with S Korea.

Trump can now "negotiate" as one having "influenced" is not caused, by using S Korea and Japan and to a limited extent the UN... to get to this point.

Mar. 9
11:13 am JST

Mar. 9
11:14 am JST

Because only this President could make it happen in the first place.

So very true. As Pres. Trump talks about in his book "The Art of The Deal", to achieve success, you have to always "Think Big" in all situations. Previous Presidents did not "Think Big", which is why NK was left unchecked to build up incredibly powerful military and nuclear weapons.Pres. Obama was not a "Big Thinker" and would never have met with NK Leader. Just sitting and talking to media and making prepared speeches.

I was skeptical at first, but if anyone could achieve this peace in our lifetimes, it would be Pres. Trump and his famous ability to "make a deal".

Mar. 9
11:18 am JST

Mar. 9
11:21 am JST

I think it’s a good thing, they should talk, better than the alternative, but the President should be optimistically cautious, but I agree, it’s great news if they North Koreans are serious, we can all benefit from this meeting.

Mar. 9
11:22 am JST

Incredible. Trump the deal maker at work. All those years of concessions, empty and broken promises and it takes a guy like Trump calling this lunatic muderous dictator out for what he is to get them to talk. Amazing. Go Trump!

Mar. 9
11:34 am JST

Mar. 9
11:34 am JST

Trump will never negotiate with Iran, Cuba or Venezuela for whatsoever things even humanitarian terms because they have NO nuclear arsenal card in hands. For North Korea this is their victory for their blackmail businesss.For Mr.Abe this is an insult, Japan is stabbed in the back by her boss!

Mar. 9
11:35 am JST

Incredible. Trump the deal maker at work. All those years of concessions, empty and broken promises and it takes a guy like Trump calling this lunatic muderous dictator out for what he is to get them to talk. Amazing. Go Trump!

Mar. 9
11:36 am JST

I don’t know if this will end up good or bad but I do remember the Republicans going crazy at the thought of Obama or Hillary would meet unilaterally with North Korea without major concessions from North Korea. Why is everything such a disgusting double standard with them?

We don't even have an ambassador in Seoul. Our chief negotiator just resigned. We have no agreed-upon strategy, no game plan, no tactics, no backup experts.

Lil' Donnie clearly thinks he can do it all. Who needs experts, people with brains?

Mar. 9
11:41 am JST

Mar. 9
11:42 am JST

Credit to the South Koreans. If they hadn't decided to invite the North to the games and go up there themselves Trump and Kim would still be trading insults. This is good news all round though, I hope they reach a breakthrough.

Mar. 9
11:43 am JST

Kim is a "realist" and not a fanatic.

He is also a merciless despot leading a merciless despotic regime. There is no possible way for the two countries to merge with Kim in power.

Also, even if external threats removed, Kim must worry even more now about internal threats, which likely means even greater human rights abuses, though perhaps economic opening will turn NK into Moscow on the Yalu.

Phew for dodging armageddon (at least for the moment). The bite is we've still got Kim.

Mar. 9
11:45 am JST

Mar. 9
11:56 am JST

Remember Trump is businessman and he is a native born businessman. This guy can do whatever to make a fortune! If you see his own TV show'The Apprentice' you understood how he does business: Danger! He makes business in a very danger way and he dont care others at all! Dont be surprise if Trump set foot on Pyongyang like Dennis Rodman does,I believe Trump has consulted Dennis Rodman about Kim's behaviour and his real thought!

Mar. 9
11:59 am JST

Kim is not going to hire a life coach to figure out something positive to do with his life. He knows what happened to Saddam Hussein and he's not going to let it happen to him. As long as Kim is dictator, he will keep his nukes. Period.

Trump doesn't need to prepare in order to impress his supporters with how tough he is. That's all he cares about. He won't try to solve the problem.

The USA and world will pay for a very long time for the election of Donald J. Trump. May God have mercy on us all.

Mar. 9
12:17 pm JST

I don’t know if this will end up good or bad but I do remember the Republicans going crazy at the thought of Obama or Hillary would meet unilaterally with North Korea without major concessions from North Korea.

Yeah remember how they freaked when Obama went to Cuba, and when the US negotiated an agreement to denuclearize Iran?

Suddenly they are screaming Trump's praise for being willing to do so.

Mar. 9
12:18 pm JST

Mar. 9
12:19 pm JST

Mar. 9
12:22 pm JST

I realize that facts are unwelcome here at Japan Today. But, the reality is that Tony Schwartz wrote Art Of The Deal, Since someone quoted a passage from the book it's quite relevant to point out who the actual author was.

Mar. 9
12:24 pm JST

Well, so much for the political elite fixing the 30 year stalemate with the North. Funny how a NON politician has the keys to peace and stability in the region. At least the two are speaking their real mind to each other.

But there's going to be heavy pressure from Leftists/liberals to demand Trump to agree to anything to get "PEACE".....even if it means making hasty concessions like agreeing to withdraw U.S. military out of the peninsula, agreeing to DEMILITARIZATION of the DMZ, agreeing to talks for a Peace Treaty that guarantees Unification under DPRK regime.

But concessions like that isn't going to guarantee Kim will follow through with his "promises."

Mar. 9
12:30 pm JST

there's going to be heavy pressure from Leftists/liberals to demand Trump to agree to anything to get "PEACE"....

No there isn't. The US doesn't have to give up anything. Neither does NK. They can talk in circles for years, and that will be a success. Every day there is no war, is a good day. Every day there is war, is a bad day.

Trump has managed over a year of good days in regards to NK so far. Let's hope he can manage a full presidency of good days, even if that means the talks go on his entire presidency.

Mar. 9
12:46 pm JST

Mar. 9
01:09 pm JST

Credit goes to people who do things intentionally. Any good thing that winds up happening due to Trumps impulsive and unplanned flailing should be chalked up to nothing but good luck for the US. It's too bad that most of his stupid actions can and do hurt us.

As a strictly domestic political move, you can rest assured that anything positive that comes from this announcement or subsequent negotiations will last all of 8 hours.

Mar. 9
01:10 pm JST

Until North Korea is 100% denuclearized, I have no confidence whatsoever in these talks. North Korea has tried this same tactic for the past 30 years, so there is little chance that all of a sudden they are now willing to completely give up their nukes unless they receive something quite substantial in return, such as unification with Korea under the DPRK

Mar. 9
03:05 pm JST

Mar. 9
03:12 pm JST

Hmmm. When you think about it; both men are from wealthy and powerful families. Both inherited their father's empires (despite not being first born), both were educated in posh Western schools. Trump's probably got more in common with Kim than the average American does.

They also don't tolerate people saying "no" to them, which could be a wee problem. Otherwise, they seem well suited to each other.

As I said, diplomacy and decorum. These should be paramount in the talks.

Mar. 9
03:39 pm JST

If Obama had done this, his sycophants would be gushing for not only a Nobel, but Sainthood

Uh ... done what? Kim has desired a meeting with an American president since he's assumed power - it's simply that the Bush and Obama refused unless concrete steps at denuclearization were taken.

Now that Trump has Kim crawling to the table

You don't seem to understand. Kim is crowing as his nuclear strategy has finally bought him a meeting with a US president, indicating parity in status.

From what I've heard, Trump came running into the Press Room unannounced and excitedly made the announcement. This indicates Trump's decision was not thoroughly vetted by whatever experts remain in the administration.

Mar. 9
03:42 pm JST

NK wins again, while Trump loses yet again. It was amusing to watch Trumpers scream during the election that electing Hillary would "lead to war", when wars started after Trump came in, and never before had things gotten as bad as they did with NK. They chortled and patted each other on the bad when Trump "drew a line in the sand that Obama was too weak to do" with the "fire and fury" crap, then patted themselves on the back again when NK crossed that line (continued testing) and Trump had nothing to say. Now Moon and Kim have managed to make things better, with no help from the US, Japan, or others, and the Trumpers are once again trying to take credit when in fact Pence and others only a few weeks ago were coming out with more bombast and threats than ever, with NK winning on that one, too.

And now suddenly there's no more "fatty" remarks or "little Rocket Man", it's back to the "gentleman from North Korea" after NK asks the White House back to the table. Haha.

Mar. 9
03:55 pm JST

Mar. 9
03:56 pm JST

Disgusting to see some here praise North Korea for all this, as if they haven't been threatening nuclear destruction and sending missiles over Japan and as if this wasn't blackmail in its purest form. Some seem to be more enamored with the despicable and subhuman North Korea than America or Japan..

Mar. 9
04:03 pm JST

Darmstadt: I don't think so. People are more concerned with pointing out how incorrect those that assert that Trump knows what he is doing and this is because of him are. Pointing out how easily NK has played the current WH does not equal praise, same as pointing out how Putin has control over Trump doesn't mean a person is praising or likes him in the least. In fact, equating the facts with "it means you're praising NK" arguments harkens back to the "with us or against us" misdirected anger comments that some have used to defend the indefensible.

Mar. 9
04:27 pm JST

Disgusting to see some here praise North Korea for all this, as if they haven't been threatening nuclear destruction and sending missiles over Japan and as if this wasn't blackmail in its purest form. Some seem to be more enamored with the despicable and subhuman North Korea than America or Japan..

Exactly. Such is their incomparable hatred for President Trump, they would actually rather see armed conflict in the region than a peaceful summit if it shows the President in a positive light.

Mar. 9
04:32 pm JST

North and South Korea made this happen.

To a point at the very end, but all the rhetoric from Trump, not blinking and hitting them with the heaviest sanctions, the country is broke, more than it was during the famine, meaning, the government itself is on the verge of financial collapse and you can only contain the people’s loyalty for so long and he knows it. Now the question is, will they denuclearize or not. If they do, then we know they are very serious about peace, will they grant inspectors full and unfettered access to every nuclear site? I believe if they do that, the US will through the effort to fully accept a stable and denuclearized NK and that should not come with any kind of concessions on the US part because we have been through that so many times and each time they lied, every single time. So under any circumstances should the Trump administration give concessions unless they completely abandon their Nukes. Either way, if this does work out in the way the administration and SK hope, the President was as instrumental in starting this the way Reagan did with the former Soviet Union. I hope for the best, but I’m optimistically cautious.

Mar. 9
04:46 pm JST

Back to the other question you've not replied to - given that such huge and important deals require compromise on both "sides" - do you see Trump compromising on the US military in the region?

President Trump has a sterling track record of supporting the military and Americans. Unlike Obama, who ordered the DEA and CIA to stand down in their operations against Hezbollah so he could have his "legacy" deal with Iran. Unfortunately It will go down as a legacy of failure and betrayal.

Mar. 9
04:51 pm JST

President Trump has a sterling track record of supporting the military and Americans. Unlike Obama, who ordered the DEA and CIA to stand down in their operations against Hezbollah so he could have his "legacy" deal with Iran. Unfortunately It will go down as a legacy of failure and betrayal.

President Trump would never let that happen.

So, there will be no compromise on Trump's part, whatsoever? What are the incentives for the regime in the DPRK, should the two participants meet?

Mar. 9
05:08 pm JST

He simply said he would grant Kim a meeting. Nothing more, nothing less. He's a master negotiator and won't fold like a cheap suit like the last charlatan.

Obama has zero to do with this forthcoming meeting. When you go into important, ground breaking talks like this you tend to bring something to the table. Which, to me, would mean Trump exploring the realms of scaling back military presence in the peninsula and/or putting a hold on joint operations with the ROK.

There has to be something in it, otherwise the DPRK would not be even entertaining the idea of such a meeting.

Mar. 9
05:16 pm JST

Mar. 9
05:18 pm JST

It is good to see Trump following the Obama doctrine of diplomacy rather than useless tweets. Republicans rarely come around to the right policy. In this case Trump is so unstable and random he has simply accidentally done the right thing. NK is playing him like the stooge that he is. The winner, NK and second is SK. The rube is Trump. That is how it will all play out in May for sure.

But the news here in Japan is how the Abe fake news NHK NK daily propaganda effort is now totally destroyed. If Trump is going to meet the pudgy dictator doom and gloom is not on the doorstep. Abe used NK as a prop like he used the NK hostage issue to become PM the first failed time. It is totally cynical and unfortunately works pretty well to distract people from his only real concern, that is to change the constitution so grandpa will be proud of him.

Mar. 9
06:01 pm JST

Supposedly there are fears in the State Dept and the Pentagon that once in NK, Trump may be held hostage for an exorbitant ransom. Apparently Tillerson has stated that the US will pay whatever the demands are so long as NK gives an iron-clad guarantee that they'll keep Trump...

Mar. 9
07:01 pm JST

Mar. 9
08:21 pm JST

Trump has turned into a Left winger this year. First it was amnesty for illegals, then raising gas taxes, gun control, anti-free trade and now appeasement for a communist dictator. This is why I’ve always felt that Trump was not worth voting for. He has no core beliefs. He certainly has no grounding in Americanism and American governing traditions.

Pulling this Neville Chamberlain act with the Kim regime is a huge mistake. I remember when Obama said that he was open to meeting with the leaders of Iran and North Korea. It was a stupid idea then and it still is today. History shows that Kim is going to get an economic benefit from this and cheat on his obligations.

Mar. 9
09:12 pm JST

The US Secret Service had better frisk Kim before the meeting. Even though I've commented before that Trump was going the right way about dealing with NK (i.e. crazier Trump dealing with crazy Kim), something doesn't seem quite right about how quickly this meeting has been arranged and how NK is suddenly willing to talk.

Mar. 9
10:35 pm JST

Mar. 9
11:11 pm JST

This meeting will definitely take place whether Japan and any other nations may like it or not. (In reality, China and Russia are "sweating" and do not want that to happen.)

N Korea has never been a real threat for the US as much as for S Korea and Japan.

And... now can be a real threat for China and Russia. They both "played" and used N Korea for their ends at the expense of N Korea's place in the world community. US also needed N Korea as a "constant" and "consistent" reminder as a foe to keep S Korea and Japan as allies to prevent China and Russia from expanding into the Pacific after WWII and the Korean war.

By Xi taking full power, and with Putin being all powerful, Asia's stability is at risk. US and S Korea cannot "afford" to have N Korea take side with either China or Russia. US cannot afford to be "arrogant" and "self-righteous".

On land, China is using the railway to connect Asian countries to Peking, in the pretext of economic aid for a greater Asia, while requiring those countries to use primarily Chinese workers to build the system who then remain at the location as maintenance and support personnel, literally "occupying" each country, and controlling their transportation system. And transportation is the key to controlling any economy and the population.

So Trump must talk with Kim even fs there is opposition domestically and internationally.

Mar. 10
12:03 am JST

The unsubtle Donald has been lusting after this deal from day one, and his flirty signaling to "Rocket Boy" has been obvious to everyone except the "experts" who are, as usual, unable to think "outside the box" (where Trump is always to be found "at home"). He had the same plan to make deals with the Kremlin, too, but came off the blocks too quickly (before his inauguration) and so became entangled in half-baked, backdoor negotiations and is now mired in a Grand Jury investigation that threatens to make his first term nasty, foolish and short. Even if he manages to weather the sudden Stormy scandal with the help of Christian conservatives, the menace of Melania may be another reason Trump wants split from the White House ASAP and buzz off to North Korea to placate her with a Nobel Peace Prize in his pocket.

Mar. 10
12:30 am JST

The US wants exactly the opposite. It would not be in the interest of the US to have a United Korea, not especially one with nuclear weapons and ICBMs. The best the US can do is keep South Korea and Japan as allies. One rung down would be Japan only.

Mar. 10
04:15 am JST

Hey, maybe Kim just go tired of the whole "Dr. Evil" gig and decided his destiny was in being the Kim that opened the DPRK to the world. All this time he has been expected to run the family business just like his old man and gramps did; but where did that get him? He's a tin pot dictator of an impoverished, back water dead end of a country. He's surrounded by a bunch of old fart, weasley suck ups and programed sycophants, and for sure that has got to get stale after a while. Right now he's at the top of his heap, but it's a pretty small heap and shabby at that. On top of that, it's not like Kim gets a lot of opportunities to mingle with the rest of the world community and that must be kind of lonely sometimes. Just think of the splash Kim would make if he threw off the hermit cowl and joined the party.

Mar. 10
08:21 am JST

Alas, I knew it was all too good to be true. Apparently the Trump administration is now trying to work out of this North Korea meeting. Supposedly Trump agreeing to meet Kim was a spontaneous reaction without any thought process, as Trump is prone to do. Now the White House is saying no meeting with NK without concessions.

The only thing more ridiculous than Abe is Trump, but we all knew that and should have known better to get upbeat so quickly.

Mar. 10
03:00 pm JST

Mar. 11
09:52 am JST

I don't agree with everything, or a lot, that Trump says and does.

But I am not going to be bigoted, this is a good thing. If Trump and Kim can come to any agreement, that would not only Boost Trump at home, it would keep Seoul safe. And I think the majority of us here on JT loves the average South Korean.

This has failed in the past, but I have a slight optimism given that Jong-Un spent parts of his childhood in Switzerland, and seems eager to at least, to a degree, modernize his country.

I wouldn't brush everything he's done under a comb before private talks, as I know there are some seriously powerful old-school generals in Pyongyang that holds tremendous power over their military that might have persuaded Kim to some of the actions that he's made.